Jan 9, 2012

The Complete Electricity Guide. Ish.

Lately Bossy has been consumed with electricity, where consumed equals Bossy is now paying for it. This means Bossy sits around and thinks about how much electricity each thing in her house uses — and when Bossy sits around thinking of these things it’s in the dark because, oy, lights!

It occurred to Bossy it would be very helpful to know how much electricity each thing in her house uses so she can use the shite out of those things costing less while avoiding those things costing more.

So Bossy turned to none other than the internet to do her exhaustive research, where exhaustive research equals trusting the first website that came up on Google.

But before we get started, what is electricity? Simply put, electricity is interactions particles electromagnetic subatomic amperes movement fields volts interaction motion presence wired station connection wiring transport.

Next: How much electricity is used by things in our home?

You may be interested to know an average furnace in a cold climate uses 26,500 watts, whereas a box fan in summer uses 100 watts.

A large window air conditioning unit uses 1440 watts, whereas a waterbed heater uses 600 watts.

An electric clothes dryer uses 4400 watts, whereas a clothesline uses wattaya mean a clothesline doesn’t use watts?

Your electric oven uses 2000 watts, whereas your four-slot toaster uses 1440 watts.

The average refrigerator uses 100 watts, whereas the average dishwasher uses no watts.

A 60-watt bulb uses — and this is an enormous coincidence — 60 watts. Your laptop computer monitor uses 45 watts.

The average television uses 300 watts, the average coffee maker uses 900 watts, and when you combine coffee and television you stay up too late watching Showtime’s premiere of Shameless, and House of Lies, and Californication, which equals 1200 watts of wattchamacallit. Tired.

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17 comments

1. 1
   on January 9th, 2012 at 11:29 pm
   KathyB said:

   Thanks for all your research, Bossy. Newer appliances use less electricity, awesome in a way. I remember waiting happily for a refrigerator to die so the new one would use less juice. Just weird that way.

   I am fascinated by the tankless water heating systems too. I’d never get out of the shower if I didn’t run out of hot water. Ours uses propane.


2. 2
   on January 9th, 2012 at 11:35 pm
   Jenn @ Juggling Life said:

   If I only I’d had this equivalent on water usage when my Brazilian exchange student was putting us in the poorhouse one gallon at a time.


3. 3
   on January 10th, 2012 at 1:03 am
   Pamela said:

   Sorry, Bossy. Already married. Maybe next time.


4. 4
   on January 10th, 2012 at 5:12 am
   Jen said:

   I don’t know about the US but in the UK the energy companies gave out free plug-in electrickery meters that went into a socket in the house and showed how much energy each appliance used when it was turned on. I never fill my kettle more than 1/3 full now, and put a sweater on instead of a heater.


5. 5
   on January 10th, 2012 at 9:29 am
   WebSavvyMom said:

   –>In part two of this series, you should mention all the Ghosting of appliances that are left plugged in all the time. I’m not talking about Ben Franklin either.


6. 6
   on January 10th, 2012 at 10:42 am
   mopey said:

   Kill-A-Watt will give you the amount of power consumed and how much it cost you and will forecast how much continued use of the appliance will cost in the future, given your rate of consumption.


7. 7
   on January 10th, 2012 at 11:14 am
   p.j. said:

   Sending your kids back to college, where you have already paid for all the utilities in their dorms: major savings- not to mention sudden availability of shower and t.v. remote. Oy.


8. 8
   on January 10th, 2012 at 11:47 am
   Lovelyn said:

   One of my flats in the UK had a prepaid electricity meter. Having to pay for my electricity before using it made me extra diligent about saving money.


9. 9
   on January 10th, 2012 at 1:15 pm
   joeinvegas said:

   I loved my water bed, and would get another if they still sold them anywhere near here.


10. 10
    on January 10th, 2012 at 3:18 pm
    heidig said:

    The rebate from Connecticut Light & Power for NINE days without power? $100. Hmmmhmmmm.


11. 11
    on January 10th, 2012 at 8:03 pm
    Amber Star said:

    Yes it is unsettling to know how much appliances cost to use, not even counting how much they use when NOT being used. They still use watts when they are in stand by mode. Makes me tired thinking about it. I need to turn off the light now.


12. 12
    on January 11th, 2012 at 12:50 am
    Wendy said:

    so the moral of the story is skip the heater, drink tea and huddle around your oven? with the money you save on electric bills, buy a nice soft cashmere sweater!


13. 13
    on January 12th, 2012 at 5:37 pm
    dexter said:

    Watching Emmy Rossum on Shameless is well worth the wattage


14. 14
    on January 13th, 2012 at 12:33 am
    Tootsie Farklepants said:

    But you can’t roast a turkey in a 4 slot toaster!


15. 15
    on January 13th, 2012 at 5:46 pm
    Lynn said:

    “Uses XXX watts.” Is that every hour? Every minute? Every day?


16. 16
    on January 15th, 2012 at 2:03 pm
    Mrs. Tuna said:

    Bossy is ready for a career in energy management, isn’t that where all the jobs are now?


17. 17
    on January 18th, 2012 at 5:37 am
    who said:

    If I say that I got the joke, you aren’t going to make it explain are you?

    Because if that’s the case, is there a penalty for claiming you got the joke but the explanation given is wrong?

    if so, what is the penalty?